Remdesivir continues to impress researchers with its effectiveness as Gilead Sciences started two phase three trials for its coronavirus treatment candidate. The drug was one of the first medications analyzed as having the capacity to collide with SARS-CoV-2.
A hospital in Chicago treating patients with severe cases of COVID-19 is included in Gilead Sciences' clinical trial in finding out Remdesivir's effectiveness. So far, they see incredibly quick recoveries in patients with fever and respiratory symptoms. STAT reports that nearly all patients treated with the drug were discharged in less than a week.
The same trials are being conducted at other institutions, and a conclusion about the study is still impossible to resolve as of the present. Nevertheless, excitement remains to stay high as experts such as Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institue, describe the findings of the trial as "encouraging."
Many are anticipating the positive results from Remdesivir's clinical trials as experts believe it would most likely lead to fast approvals by the Food and Drug Administration as long as proven safe and effective. Investment shares on the drug have boomed by more than 16% in after-hours trading on Thursday Gilead Science's drug candidate shows a true potential of possibly being the first approved treatment against COVID-19.
Remdesivir's Promising Results
At least 125 people with the coronavirus infection were recruited for Gilead's two phase three clinical trials at the University of Chicago Medicine. One hundred thirteen of the participants were considered to be severely ill with the disease, while the remaining 12 were mildly infected. All the patients were given daily infusions of remdesivir.
Kathleen Mullane, the University of Chicago infectious disease specialist, shared in a video discussion among faculty members that the best news about the trial is that the patients have already been discharged. Only two have died out of 125.
Mullane added that most of their severe patients were leaving the hospital at six days, indicating that the duration of the therapy doesn't necessarily have to be a full ten days. According to her, about only three patients out of 125 extended their hospital stay to 10 days.
Eric Topol acknowledged from the study that if 113 patients considered to have a high-risk fatality were treated and discharged, then it poses another positive signal that the drug has efficacy. He added that it would also be essential to see more information from randomized controlled studies.
Take it From Someone Who Took It
Slawomir Michalak, a 57-year-old factory worker, was one of the participants in the Chicago study. One of his daughters started feeling sick in late March and was later diagnosed with mild COVID-19. Michalak, on the other hand, came down with a high fever, experienced shortness of breath, and had severe pain in his back.
Due to his wife's persistence, Michalak went to the University of Chicago Medicine hospital on Friday, April 3. His fever had spiked to 104, and he was coping hard to breathe. At the hospital, he agreed to participate in Gilead's severe COVID-19 clinical trial.
His first infusion of remdesivir was on Saturday, April 4. He recounts that he immediately felt better and his fever suddenly dropped shortly after administration of the medication.
By his second dose on Sunday, Michalak was slowly weaned off supplemental oxygen. He received two more daily infusions of remdesivir and recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital two days after.
He described remdesivir to be a miracle. The whole world sincerely hopes for this to be true as a conclusion about Gilead's candidate drug is still far away from our reach.
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